The Shattered Ring

In the service of the Conference of Worlds

Crescent

Description

Crescent is a ring of gas orbiting roughly one AU out from its star. The ring is pinned in place between two extremely large planets, that orbit in perfect unison.

Crescent extends all around the star but the life is concentrated in a pocket that exists between the two planets. This pocket is where life thrives, where the gas is thickest. Here the people of Crescnent tend to their garden among the stars. They live in specially tended, zero gravity trees, which over time have been pruned and coppiced, their growth directed to make rooms and walkways.

The people of Crescent are artisans, crafters and farmers and although they regurly make spaceships and other relatively high technology, they have no factories. The population is too small to run such complex enterprises and everything is made by individuals, families or small groups. The people themselves have been brought up in micro-gravity, they have long and slender limbs and are vergy graceful and agile, but they do not put up wel with high gravity envirnoments and often have to wear exoskeletons on other worlds.

Crescent manufactures its own robotic spacecraft, made of wood where possible as metals are expensive. These craft journey to the outer edges of the system and bring back asteroids which are dropped into the gas ring, where the biosphere can make use of their resources.

The fauna and flora of crescent are quite remarkable, the most famous of which are the Zoabab trees, prized across the cluster as the finest wood available. There is a whole gamut of low gravity adapted birds and lizards that have many wings and flaps and colourful decoration which provide food and exotic hides.

The system also contains two large barren planets, Interval and Terminal. They are so large that it is speculated they could have become gas giants if there were enough material in the early system. Practically no exploration has been conducted on these planets, and it is unkown what they might turn up.

Biology

Zoabab Tree

The Zoabab tree is the most common strucutre, and plant in Crescent. It has been grown as housing, shelter and feedstock throughout the history of Crescent. The tree has a light translucent wood, thourgh which one can see the nutrients and water flowing, and large deep green leaves to capture the sun efficienctly. The wood itself is soft and pliable when young, and can be easily pruned to direct its gorwth. When mature the wood is solid, solid enough to form the hull of a spaceship, armour and weapons.

The Meyamey

The Meyamay is the most common animal indigenous to crescent, it is a lizard roughly 1 foot long, with long slender limbs joined by thing membranes which it uses to propel itself trough cresecent. The male is often a vibrant and dazzling colour, while the female has a dull beige hue to hide herself among the brancehs of the zoabab tree. They feed on the many insects which live and fertalise the flora of cresecent.

Culture

The Great Wind

The major religion of Crescent is a belief in the manifestation of destiny, through the seasonal winds. The geratest manifestation is the “Great Wind” which blows constantly and pushes the inhabitants of Cresecent around their orbit. It is nearly impossible to go against the wind, and the fatalistic religion of Crescent beleives one should find one’s stream and not deviate from it, becasue to do so will costs more than the benefits it will bring and ultimately lead to suffering.